Towel dispenser

ABSTRACT

A continuous towel dispensing cabinet includes a housing provided with a hingedly mounted casing movable between open and closed positions and having associated therewith a loop of towel which extends along an exit path to an exposed position accessible to a user and thence along a return path into the housing, a generally cylindrical clean towel receptacle suspended exteriorly of and beneath the housing within the loop of towel so as to be substantially concealed thereby, the receptacle having support members engaging rails on the housing so as to accommodate sliding of the receptacle between a towel dispensing position and an intermediate position wherein certain of the support members clear the rails and so as to accommodate consequent pivotal movement of the receptacle to a towel servicing position spaced forwardly of the housing and with the forward edge of the receptacle pivoted downwardly away from the housing.

' United States Patent [191 Cassia [451 Oct. 22, 1974 l TOWEL DISPENSER[75] Inventor: Antonio Macchi Cassia, La Milan,

Italy [73] Assignee: Steiner American Corporation, Salt Lake City, Utah22 Filed: Nov. 21, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 417,713

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Apr. I2 1973 Great Britain17673/73 [52] US. Cl. 312/38 [51] Int. Cl B65h 19/00 [58] Field ofSearch 312/38 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2.8992518/1959 Birr 312/38 3,574,431 4/l97l Henderson 312/38 PrimaryExaminerJames C. Mitchell Attorney, Agent, or FirmPrangley, Dithmar,Vogel, Sandler & Stotland 5 7 ABSTRACT A continuous towel dispensingcabinet includes a housing provided with a hingedly mounted casingmovable between open and closed positions and having associatedtherewith a loop of towel which extends along an exit path to an exposedposition accessible to a user and thence along a return path into thehousing, a generally cylindrical clean towel receptacle suspendedexteriorly of and beneath the housing within the loop of towel so as tobe substantially concealed thereby, the receptacle having supportmembers engaging rails on the housing so as to accommodate sliding ofthe receptacle between a towel dispensing position and an intermediateposition wherein certain of the support members clear the rails and soas to accommodate consequent pivotal movement of the receptacle to atowel servicing position spaced forwardly of the housing and with theforward edge of the receptacle pivoted downwardly away from the housing.

12 Claims, Drawing-Figures PATENTEDBBIZZ m 3.843.219

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PATENTEDHBTZZ m4 31343219 sum sor a TOWEL DISPENSER BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION The present invention relates generally to improvements indispensing cabinets and specifically to improvements in the operation ofcloth towel dispensing cabinets of the continuous type.

Admittedly towel dispensing cabinets of the continuous type are wellknown in the prior art but difficulty has been experienced in loadingclean toweling into the prior art cabinets and in threading the cleantoweling through the dispensing and take-up mechanisms thereof. Forexample, U. S. Pat. No. 1,765,631, issued to F.v M. Steiner and G. Olsondisclosed such a towel cabinet, wherein it is necessary to open at leastthree members including the door 9, the panel 26 and the door 34 inorder to place clean toweling therein and to thread the clean towelthrough the dispensing mechanism, which threading even then isaccomplished only with difficulty.

U. S. Pat. No. 2,889,251, issued to R. G. Birr, discloses a towelcabinet wherein a receptacle 29 having a roll of clean toweling isprovided, the receptacle being pivotally mounted about the pivot screws34 to facilitate loading of the clean toweling therein into an openingof the front cover 18. Despite this improved structure, difficulty stillwas experienced in use in loading clean toweling into the dispensingcabinet and threading the clean toweling through the dispensingmechanism.

U. S. Pat. No. 3,574,431, issued to C. A. Henderson, discloses yetanother approach to the method of loading clean toweling, wherein twodoors 24 and 33 must be opened to gain access to two vertically spacedapart compartments for the clean toweling and soiled toweling,respectively, in order to place clean toweling therin. Despite thisarrangement, difficulty still is experienced in attempting to load theclean toweling into the dispensing cabinet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a dispensingcabinet for continuous cloth toweling which permits ready loading ofclean toweling into the cabinet and threading of the clean towelingthrough and into the dispensing mechanism with ease and certainty.

This is accomplished in the present invention, and it is an object ofthe present invention to accomplish these desired results, by providinga towel dispenser wherein the clean towel receptacle is suspendedexteriorly of and beneath the housing containing the towel dispensingapparatus and the loop take-up means, there being cooperating rails onthe housing and first and second support members on the receptaclesuspending the receptacle from the housing for accommodating transversesliding movement of the receptacle between a towel dispensing positiondisposed immediately below the housing and an intermediate positionwherein the second support members clear the rails and for accommodatingsubsequent pivotal movement of the receptacle between the intermediateposition and a towel servicing position spaced forwardly of the housingand from the towel dispensing position and with the forward edge of thereceptacle pivoted about the first support members downwardly away fromthe housing to provide ready access to the interior of the receptacle.

In connection with the foregoing object, it is another object of theinvention to provide a towel dispenser of the type set forth, whereinthe first support members are cylindrical in shape to facilitatepivoting of the receptacle about the axis thereof, and the secondsupport members are each provided with a ramp surface engageable withthe associated rail to assist in moving the receptacle from the towelservicing position thereof to the intermediate position thereof.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a towel dispenser ofthe type set forth wherein ribs are respectively mounted on the oppositesides of the receptacle and engage beneath an associated rail firmly toposition the receptacle with respect to the housing in a verticaldirection in use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a towel dispenser of thetype set forth, wherein the receptacle is shaped and dimensionedconformably with a supply of clean toweling and is substantiallydisposed within the lateral edges of the associated loop of towel so asto be substantially concealed thereby, the receptacle in certaininstances being formed of transparent plastic material.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a towel dispenser ofthe type set forth, wherein the housing has a casing movable betweenopen and closed positions, the casing in the closed position thereofholding the towel receptacle in the towel dispensing position thereofand the casing in the open position thereof permitting transversesliding movement and substantially pivotal movement of the receptacle tothe towel servicing position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a towel dispenser of thetype set forth, wherein a fixed towel breaker is mounted on the housingand a movable towel breaker is mounted on the receptacle, the towelbreakers cooperating to smooth the towel along the return path of theloop, movement of the receptacle to the towel servicing positionseparating the towel breakers to facilitate threading of the cleantowel.

Further features of the invention pertain to the particular arrangementof the parts of the compact towel dispenser whereby the above outlinedand additional operating features thereof are attained.

The invention, both as to its organization and method of operationtogether with further features and advantages thereof, will best beunderstood with reference to the following specification taken inconnection with'th accompanying drawings, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front view, partially insection, of a towel dispensing cabinet, a slack towel loop hanging fromthe cabinet being shown in dashed lines;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the cabinet showing the housing and the cleantowel receptacle in full lines in the towel dispensing position and indashed lines in the towel servicing position, the path of the towelbeing shown by arrows;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the clean towel receptacle of the cabinet; and

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 1, the towel dispensing cabinet of the presentinvention comprises a box-like housing 1 having a casing 2 beneath whichhousing is suspended a transparent clean towel receptacle 3. The casing2 is provided in the center of its lower face with a lock 4. Slide bolts5 and 6 are projected laterally when the lock is turned to pass throughopenings 7 and 8 formed in the side plates 9 fixed to a back panel 10shown in FIG. 2.

The back panel 10 is provided with mounting embossments 11 havingopenings therein to enable the cabinet to be attached to a wall and isfixed to a frame which includes the side plates 9 and also mounts forvarious rollers within the housing 1 including rollers 14 and 15 of atowel dispensing apparatus and rollers 13 and 16 of a loop take-upmechanism. A hinge 17 provided in the top back corner of the frameallows the casing 2'to be hinged for pivotal movement forwardly andupwardly, as shown in dashed lines in FIG. 2, to enable accessfrom thefront to the interior of the housing 1. The frame has two verticallyspaced ribs 20 and 21 extending inwardly from its rear wall to providefixed towel breakers and between which a movable rib 22 may bepositioned to provide a movable towel breaker in order to smooth theused towel as it is fed to the loop take-up rollers 13 and 16.

The clean towel receptacle 3 is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and comprises asmoked transparent molding of polycarbonate plastic resin materialhaving a generally partcylindrical shape. The receptacle 3 is open atits upper side and is of trough-like configuration having integrallymolded end walls and 31. A part-cylindrical rib 32 is formed in each endwall for aesthetic reasons and follows the contour of a new clean towelroll when placed in the receptacle 3. A rod 33 extends across the upperrear portion of the receptacle 3 and is molded in position so that itsopposite end portions 34 and 35 project from the end walls 30, 31 toprovide pivots. Beneath the level of the pivots and in the upper portionof the end walls 30 and 31 are integrally molded ribs 36 which assistlocation of the receptacle 3 in its towel dispensing position beneaththe housing 1. The forward upper end of the receptacle 3 is providedwith a pair of lungs 37 each provided with a ramp surface 38.

FIG. 2 shows in broken outline a clean towel roll 40 mounted within theclean towel receptacle 3. The free end of the towel roll 40 is threadedupwardly through a pinch between the two rollers 14 and 15 of the toweldispensing apparatus and then hangs downwardly so that it falls througha feed slot 50 provided between the front of the casing 2 and the backof the casing 2. The towel thus hangs vertically down beneath thehousing 1 to provide a slack towel loop 51 around the receptacle 3. Thetowel loop passes upwardly behind the receptacle 3 through a rear towelfeeding slot 54 and then passes across the fixed towel breakers 20 and21 and the movable towel breaker 22 so that it is slightly tensioned andsmoothed as it passes upwardly to a used towel roll 55 which is built upon the roller 16 of the loop take-up mechanism. It will be appreciatedthat FIG. 2 is diagrammatic and shows the clean towel roll and the usedtowel roll with their diameters at a maximum. The details of the toweldispensing mechanism and the loop take-up mechanism are known in theart, and are preferably of the type illustrated in U. S. Pat. No.2,899,251, issued to R. G. Birr on Aug. 11, 1959. The feed mechanismoperates when the front run of the towel is pulled down by the user, andallows a predetermined length of clean towel to be drawn out of thecabinet. Simultaneously, the roller 13 is rotated and this has the usedtowel roll 55 resting on it so that the used towel winds up the samelength of used towel as is dispensed by the cabinet.

As the clean towel roll is consumed, its diameter diminishes and anattendant may see immediately, by looking at the end walls of thetransparent receptacle 3, when towel replacement is necessary.

The pivot portions 34 and 35 each extend into a guide formed by upperand lower rails and 61, respectively, which extend horizontally from theback to adjacent the front of the frame at a position slightly above thelower edge of the casing 2. These rails allow the receptacle 3 to beslid backwards and forwards on the frame when the casing 2 is in itsopen position. During such movement the ribs 36 engage the under side ofthe rail 60 and the ramp surface 38 on each of the lugs 37 provides asmooth entry for the lugs 37 which also engage between the upper andlower rails 60 and 61 when the receptacle 3 is moved finally into itstowel dispensing position at which it is nested beneath the housing 1 asshown in full outline in FIG. 2.

To service the cabinet, the attendant releases the lock 4 so that theslide bolts 5 and 6 disengage from the openings in the side plates 9.The casing 2 can then be raised about the hinge 17 to allow access tothe used roll holding chamber which comprises that portion of thehousing 1 above the roller 13.

Raising of the casing 2 frees the lugs 37 of the receptacle 3 which arenormally held trapped behind the lower marginal edge of the casing 2, sothat the receptacle 3 can be drawn forwardly on the rails 60 and 61 to aposition such that the ramp surfaces 38 clear the lower rail 60. Thereceptacle 3 can then be swung downwardly about the pivot axis providedby the pivot portions 34 and 35 of the rod 32 to enable the last of theclean towel roll 40 to be removed and wound up onto-the used towel roll55 which can then be withdrawn from the upper portion of the cabinet.

A new clean towel roll 40 is then inserted into the receptacle 3 and itsleading end fed upwardly around the roller 15 and then down across themouth of the receptacle 3 to provide the loop 51. The free end is thenpassed upwardly inside the rear of the cabinet, this being easilyaccomplished because the receptacle 3 is slid forwardly and there isadequate room for the attendants hand to be inserted when the casing 2is raised and the movable towel breaker 22 is well forward of the fixedtowel breakers 20 and 21. The free end of the towel can then be fixed toroller 16 which is, in fact, the center roller of the used clean towelroll.

Finally, the attendant pivots the receptacle 3 about the pivot axisprovided by the rod 33 and then slides it rearwardly, the ribs 36 andthe ramp surfaces 22 assiting location of the receptacle 3. Finalmovement of the receptacle 3 is its operating position at which it isnested beneath the housing 1 and its casing 2, is facilitated by theramp surfaces 38 which guide the lugs 37 so that they, too, are trappedbetween the rails 60 and 61. The casing 2 is then swung downwardly tothe position shown in FIG. 1 and locked.

In order that the cabinet may be made more secure against unauthorizedattempts to open it, the rear vertical edges of the casing 2 may bechanneled to fit over respective side flanges on the back panel 10. Thisarrangement would hold the side panels of the casing 2 when the cabinetis in its closed position.

Although the above described cabinet is designed for use with clothtowels, the invention is equally usable with towel rolls made of paperor any other suitable absorbent material.

While there has been described what is at present considered to be thepreferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood thatvarious modifications may be made therein and it is intended to cover inthe appended claims all such modifications as follow within the truespirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A towel dispenser of the continuous loop type comprising a housinghaving associated therewith a loop of towel that extends along an exitpath out of said housing to an exposed position accessible to a user andthence along a return path into said housing, towel dispensing apparatusmounted in said housing for dispensing clean towel from a supply thereofinto said housing and from said housing into the loop along the exitpath when the accessible portion of the loop is pulled by a user, looptake-up means mounted in said housing and coupled to said toweldispensing apparatus for retracting and storing in said housing soiledtowel from the return path when the accessible portion of the loop ispulled by a user, a receptacle suspended exteriorly of and beneath saidhousing for accommodating therein a supply of clean towel exteriorly ofsaid housing, rails respectively mounted on the opposite sides of saidhousing adjacent to the lower end thereof, and first support membersmounted respectively on the opposite sides of said receptacle adjacentto the upper edge thereof and disposed adjacent to the rear edge thereofand engaging said rails and second support members mounted respectivelyon the opposite sides of said receptacle adjacent to the upper edgethereof and disposed adjacent to the forward edge thereof and engagingsaid rails, said rails and said support members suspending saidreceptacle from said housing and accommodating transverse slidingmovement of said receptacle between a towel dispensing position disposedimmediately below said housing and an intermediate position wherein saidsecond support members clear said rails and accommodate subsequentpivotal movement of said receptacle between said intermediate positionand a towel servicing position spaced forwardly of said housing and fromsaid towel dispensing position and with the forward edge of saidreceptacle pivoted about said first support members downwardly away fromsaid housing to provide ready access to the interior of said receptacle.

2. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 1, wherein said receptacle isformed of a transparent plastic material.

3. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 1, wherein a set of two ofsaid rails is provided within said housing at each side thereof, therails in each set being disposed one above the other in use andreceiving said support members thcrebetween.

4. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 1, wherein said first supportmembers are cylindrical in shape to facilitate pivoting of saidreceptacle about the axis thereof between the intermediate position andthe towel servicing position of said receptacle.

5. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 1, wherein said second supportmembers are each provided with a ramp surface engageable with theassociated rail to assist in moving said receptacle from the towelservicing position thereof to the intermediate position thereof.

6. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 1, and further comprising,ribs respectively mounted on the opposite sides of receptacle andengageable beneath the associated rail firmly to position saidreceptacle with respect to said housing in a vertical direction in use.

7. A towel dispenser of the continuous loop type comprising a housinghaving associated therewith a loop of towel that extends along an exitpath out of said housing to an exposed position accessible to a user andthence along a return path into said housing, towel dispensing apparatusmounted in said housing for dispensing clean towel from a supply thereofinto said housing and from said housing into the loop along the exitpath when the accessible portion of the loop is pulled by a user, looptake-up means mounted in said housing and coupled to said toweldispensing apparatus for retracting and storing in said housing soiledtowel from the return path when the accessible portion of the loop ispulled by a user, a receptacle suspended exteriorly of and beneath saidhousing for accommodating therein a supply of clean towel exteriorly ofsaid housing, rails respectively mounted on the opposite sides 'of saidhousing. adjacent to the lower end thereof, and first support membersmounted respectively on the opposite sides of said receptacle adjacentto the upper edge thereof and disposed adjacent to the rear edge thereofand engaging said rails and second support members mounted respectivelyon the opposite sides of said receptacle adjacent to the upper edgethereof and disposed adjacent to the forward edge thereof and engagingsaid rails, said rails and said support members suspending saidreceptacle from said housing and accommodating transverse slidingmovement of said receptacle between a towel dispensing position'disposedimmediately below said housing and an intermediate position wherein saidsecond support members clear said rails and accommodate subsequentpivotal movement of said receptacle between said intermediate-positionand a towel servicing position spaced forwardly of said housing and fromsaid towel dispensing position and with the forward edge of saidreceptacle pivoted about said first support members downwardly away fromsaid housing to provide ready access to the interior of said receptacle,said receptacle being shaped and dimensioned conformably with a supplyof clean towel and being substantially disposed within the lateral edgesof the associated loop of towel so as to be substantially concealedthereby, whereby the size of said towel dispenser is minimized bylocation of said receptacle exteriorly of said housing while saidreceptacle is substantially concealed from view to afford a compactappearance for said towel dispenser.

8. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 7, wherein said receptacle issubstantially cylindrical in shape and conforms to the dimensions of anassociated supply roll of clean towel.

9. A towel dispenser of the continuous loop type comprising a housinghaving associated therewith a loop of towel that extends along an exitpath out of said housing to an exposed position accessible to a user andthence along a return path into said housing, towel dispensing apparatusmounted in said housing for dispensing clean towel from a supply thereofinto said housing and from said housing into the loop along the exitpath when the accessible portion of the loop is pulled by a user, looptake-up means mounted in said housing and coupled to said toweldispensing apparatus for retracting and storing in said housing soiledtowel from the return path when the accessible portion of the loop ispulled by a user, a casing mounted on said housing and movable betweenan open position providing access to the interior of said housing and aclosed position covering said housing, a receptacle suspended exteriorlyof and beneath said housing for accommodating therein a supply of cleantowel exteriorly of said housing, rails respectively mounted on theopposite sides of said housing adjacent to the lower end thereof, andfirst support members mounted respectively on the opposite sides of saidreceptacle adjacent to the upper edge thereof and disposed adjacent tothe rear edge thereof and engaging said rails and second support membersmounted respectively on the opposite sides of said receptacle adjacentto the upper edge thereof and disposed adjacent to the forward edgethereof and engaging said rails, said rails and said support memberssuspending said receptacle from said housing and accommodatingtransverse sliding movement of said receptacle between a toweldispensing position disposed immediately below said housing and anintermediate position wherein saidsecond support members clear saidrails and accommodate subsequent pivotal movement of said receptaclebetween said intermediate position and a towel servicing position spacedforwardly of said housing and from said towel dispensing position andwith the forward edge of said receptacle pivoted about said firstsupport members downwardly away from said housing to provide readyaccess to the interior of said receptacle, said casing in the closedposition thereof holding said receptacle in the towel dispensingposition thereof and said casing in the open position thereof permittingtransverse sliding and pivotal movement of said receptacle to the towelservicing position thereof.

10. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 9, and further including lockmechanism for locking said casing in the closed position thereof.

11. A towel dispenser of the continuous loop tupe comprising a housinghaving associated therewith a loop of towel that extends along an exitpath out of said housing to an exposed position accessible to a user andthence along a return path into said housing, towel dis pensingapparatus mounted in said housing for dispensing clean towel from asupply thereof into said housing and from said housing into the loopalong the exit path when the accessible portion of the loop is pulled bya user, loop take-up means mounted in said housing and coupled to saidtowel dispensing apparatus for retracting and storing in said housingsoiled towel from the return path when the accessible portion of theloop is pulled by a user, a receptacle suspended exteriorly of andbeneath said housing for accommodating therein a supply of clean towelexteriorly of said housing, rails respectively mounted on the oppositesides of said housing adjacent to the lower end thereof, first supportmembers mounted respectively on the opposite sides of said receptacleadjacent to the upper edge thereof and disposed adjacent to the rearedge thereof and engaging said rails and second support members mountedrespectively on the opposite sides of said receptacle adjacent to theupper edge thereof and disposed adjacent to the forward edge thereof andengaging said rails, said rails and said support members suspending saidreceptacle from said housing and accommodating transverse slidingmovement of said receptacle between a towel dispensing position disposedimmediately below said housing and an intermediate position wherein saidsecond support members clear said rails and accommodate subsequentpivotal movement of said receptacle between said intermediate positionand a towel servicing position spaced forwardly of said housing and fromsaid towel dispensing position and with the forward edge of saidreceptacle pivoted about said first support members downwardly away fromsaid housing to provide ready access to the interior of said receptacle,a fixed towel breaker mounted on said housing adjacent to the returnpath of the loop of towel, and a movable towel breaker mounted on saidreceptacle for movement therewith, said movable towel breaker in thetowel dispensing position of said receptacle cooperating with said fixedtowel breaker for smoothing the soiled towel as it moves to said looptake-up means, said movable towel breaker in the towel servicingposition of said receptacle being spaced from said fixed towel breakerto facilitate threading of the free end of the towel onto the looptake-up means.

12. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 1 1, wherein said fixed towelbreaker includes two spaced apart breaker members disposed respectivelyabove and below said movable towel breaker when in the towel dispensingposition thereof.

1. A towel dispenser of the continuous loop type comprising a housinghaving associated therewith a loop of towel that extends along an exitpath out of said housing to an exposed position accessible to a user andthence along a return path into said housing, towel dispensing apparatusmounted in said housing for dispensing clean towel from a supply thereofinto said housing and from said housing into the loop along the exitpath when the accessible portion of the loop is pulled by a user, looptake-up means mounted in said housing and coupled to said toweldispensing apparatus for retracting and storing in said housing soiledtowel from the rEturn path when the accessible portion of the loop ispulled by a user, a receptacle suspended exteriorly of and beneath saidhousing for accommodating therein a supply of clean towel exteriorly ofsaid housing, rails respectively mounted on the opposite sides of saidhousing adjacent to the lower end thereof, and first support membersmounted respectively on the opposite sides of said receptacle adjacentto he upper edge thereof and disposed adjacent to the rear edge thereofand engaging said rails and second support members mounted respectivelyon the opposite sides of said receptacle adjacent to the upper edgethereof and disposed adjacent to the forward edge thereof and engagingsaid rails, said rails and said support members suspending saidreceptacle from said housing and accommodating transverse slidingmovement of said receptacle between a towel dispensing position disposedimmediately below said housing and an intermediate position wherein saidsecond support members clear said rails and accommodate subsequentpivotal movement of said receptacle between said intermediate positionand a towel servicing position spaced forwardly of said housing and fromsaid towel dispensing position and with the forward edge of saidreceptacle pivoted about said first support members downwardly away fromsaid housing to provide ready access to the interior of said receptacle.2. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 1, wherein said receptacle isformed of a transparent plastic material.
 3. The towel dispenser setforth in claim 1, wherein a set of two of said rails is provided withinsaid housing at each side thereof, the rails in each set being disposedone above the other in use and receiving said support memberstherebetween.
 4. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 1, wherein saidfirst support members are cylindrical in shape to facilitate pivoting ofsaid receptacle about the axis thereof between the intermediate positionand the towel servicing position of said receptacle.
 5. The toweldispenser set forth in claim 1, wherein said second support members areeach provided with a ramp surface engageable with the associated rail toassist in moving said receptacle from the towel servicing positionthereof to the intermediate position thereof.
 6. The towel dispenser setforth in claim 1, and further comprising, ribs respectively mounted onthe opposite sides of receptacle and engageable beneath the associatedrail firmly to position said receptacle with respect to said housing ina vertical direction in use.
 7. A towel dispenser of the continuous looptype comprising a housing having associated therewith a loop of towelthat extends along an exit path out of said housing to an exposedposition accessible to a user and thence along a return path into saidhousing, towel dispensing apparatus mounted in said housing fordispensing clean towel from a supply thereof into said housing and fromsaid housing into the loop along the exit path when the accessibleportion of the loop is pulled by a user, loop take-up means mounted insaid housing and coupled to said towel dispensing apparatus forretracting and storing in said housing soiled towel from the return pathwhen the accessible portion of the loop is pulled by a user, areceptacle suspended exteriorly of and beneath said housing foraccommodating therein a supply of clean towel exteriorly of saidhousing, rails respectively mounted on the opposite sides of saidhousing adjacent to the lower end thereof, and first support membersmounted respectively on the opposite sides of said receptacle adjacentto the upper edge thereof and disposed adjacent to the rear edge thereofand engaging said rails and second support members mounted respectivelyon the opposite sides of said receptacle adjacent to the upper edgethereof and disposed adjacent to the forward edge thereof and engagingsaid rails, said rails and said support members suspending saidreceptacle from said housing and accommodating transverse slidingmovemenT of said receptacle between a towel dispensing position disposedimmediately below said housing and an intermediate position wherein saidsecond support members clear said rails and accommodate subsequentpivotal movement of said receptacle between said intermediate positionand a towel servicing position spaced forwardly of said housing and fromsaid towel dispensing position and with the forward edge of saidreceptacle pivoted about said first support members downwardly away fromsaid housing to provide ready access to the interior of said receptacle,said receptacle being shaped and dimensioned conformably with a supplyof clean towel and being substantially disposed within the lateral edgesof the associated loop of towel so as to be substantially concealedthereby, whereby the size of said towel dispenser is minimized bylocation of said receptacle exteriorly of said housing while saidreceptacle is substantially concealed from view to afford a compactappearance for said towel dispenser.
 8. The towel dispenser set forth inclaim 7, wherein said receptacle is substantially cylindrical in shapeand conforms to the dimensions of an associated supply roll of cleantowel.
 9. A towel dispenser of the continuous loop type comprising ahousing having associated therewith a loop of towel that extends alongan exit path out of said housing to an exposed position accessible to auser and thence along a return path into said housing, towel dispensingapparatus mounted in said housing for dispensing clean towel from asupply thereof into said housing and from said housing into the loopalong the exit path when the accessible portion of the loop is pulled bya user, loop take-up means mounted in said housing and coupled to saidtowel dispensing apparatus for retracting and storing in said housingsoiled towel from the return path when the accessible portion of theloop is pulled by a user, a casing mounted on said housing and movablebetween an open position providing access to the interior of saidhousing and a closed position covering said housing, a receptaclesuspended exteriorly of and beneath said housing for accommodatingtherein a supply of clean towel exteriorly of said housing, railsrespectively mounted on the opposite sides of said housing adjacent tothe lower end thereof, and first support members mounted respectively onthe opposite sides of said receptacle adjacent to the upper edge thereofand disposed adjacent to the rear edge thereof and engaging said railsand second support members mounted respectively on the opposite sides ofsaid receptacle adjacent to the upper edge thereof and disposed adjacentto the forward edge thereof and engaging said rails, said rails and saidsupport members suspending said receptacle from said housing andaccommodating transverse sliding movement of said receptacle between atowel dispensing position disposed immediately below said housing and anintermediate position wherein said second support members clear saidrails and accommodate subsequent pivotal movement of said receptaclebetween said intermediate position and a towel servicing position spacedforwardly of said housing and from said towel dispensing position andwith the forward edge of said receptacle pivoted about said firstsupport members downwardly away from said housing to provide readyaccess to the interior of said receptacle, said casing in the closedposition thereof holding said receptacle in the towel dispensingposition thereof and said casing in the open position thereof permittingtransverse sliding and pivotal movement of said receptacle to the towelservicing position thereof.
 10. The towel dispenser set forth in claim9, and further including lock mechanism for locking said casing in theclosed position thereof.
 11. A towel dispenser of the continuous looptupe comprising a housing having associated therewith a loop of towelthat extends along an exit path out of said housing to an exposedposition accessible to a user and thence along a return path Into saidhousing, towel dispensing apparatus mounted in said housing fordispensing clean towel from a supply thereof into said housing and fromsaid housing into the loop along the exit path when the accessibleportion of the loop is pulled by a user, loop take-up means mounted insaid housing and coupled to said towel dispensing apparatus forretracting and storing in said housing soiled towel from the return pathwhen the accessible portion of the loop is pulled by a user, areceptacle suspended exteriorly of and beneath said housing foraccommodating therein a supply of clean towel exteriorly of saidhousing, rails respectively mounted on the opposite sides of saidhousing adjacent to the lower end thereof, first support members mountedrespectively on the opposite sides of said receptacle adjacent to theupper edge thereof and disposed adjacent to the rear edge thereof andengaging said rails and second support members mounted respectively onthe opposite sides of said receptacle adjacent to the upper edge thereofand disposed adjacent to the forward edge thereof and engaging saidrails, said rails and said support members suspending said receptaclefrom said housing and accommodating transverse sliding movement of saidreceptacle between a towel dispensing position disposed immediatelybelow said housing and an intermediate position wherein said secondsupport members clear said rails and accommodate subsequent pivotalmovement of said receptacle between said intermediate position and atowel servicing position spaced forwardly of said housing and from saidtowel dispensing position and with the forward edge of said receptaclepivoted about said first support members downwardly away from saidhousing to provide ready access to the interior of said receptacle, afixed towel breaker mounted on said housing adjacent to the return pathof the loop of towel, and a movable towel breaker mounted on saidreceptacle for movement therewith, said movable towel breaker in thetowel dispensing position of said receptacle cooperating with said fixedtowel breaker for smoothing the soiled towel as it moves to said looptake-up means, said movable towel breaker in the towel servicingposition of said receptacle being spaced from said fixed towel breakerto facilitate threading of the free end of the towel onto the looptake-up means.
 12. The towel dispenser set forth in claim 11, whereinsaid fixed towel breaker includes two spaced apart breaker membersdisposed respectively above and below said movable towel breaker when inthe towel dispensing position thereof.